NSW Premier Nathan Rees has launched a bid to have the head office of the Federal Government's $43 billion National Broadband Network in Sydney as Illawarra experts urge Wollongong's case.Just weeks after Mr Rees visited the Illawarra to announce his jobs package and acknowledge the region's unemployment plight, the State Government has backed a campaign that will benefit the state capital.Geoff McQueen, managing director of Wollongong-based internet company Internetrix - one of only six companies globally to be recognised by Google as a technology partner in 2008 - said there was no reason the headquarters couldn't be built in a regional area."What matters most for a region like ours is the jobs such a thing could bring," he said. "If you look at an organisation like the Australian Hydrographic Office, you see that national offices can work here."It wouldn't be there if the Government didn't have the forethought."He suggested the organisation could fit in with work being done at the Innovation Campus.Illawarra State Minister David Campbell said: "The region is suitable but I don't think it's practical."He said the Federal Government would more than likely choose a capital city for the base because of the sheer scale of the project, making Sydney the state's best chance.Mr Campbell said one reason the region struggled to attract new businesses was a lack of commercial space. He said the Government was working to ensure planning laws and programs like the Illawarra Advantage Fund were helping to attract new business. Mr Rees said Sydney will be bidding against strong contenders in Brisbane and Melbourne, and NSW needs a united front from business and government to "get us over the line". He said former Liberal MP turned Sydney Chamber of Commerce executive director Patricia Forsythe and the state's chief scientist Professor Mary O'Kane will head NSW's bid. The premier has rejected any suggestions Sydney will be disadvantaged by a perceived notion NSW is considered a basket case, especially when it comes to delivering infrastructure. He will take a "personal and hands-on approach" to ensure the NBN headquarters is built in Sydney. Mr Rees said 43 per cent of telco research and development occurred in NSW, and the state was home to the largest pool of information and communication technology professionals.Cunningham MP Sharon Bird said the new Regional Development Australia committee will put together a bid to ensure that actual network infrastructure is rolled out in the Illawarra earlier than other areas.